Captivate or Streak (stuck w/ AT&T)

[ragincaucasian]

I'm stuck with an AT&T contract (employer has a killer discount). I was gonna go for the iphone4 in August, but had doubts.

Been doing research into Droid for the past few months and was set on Captivate (especially after seeing friends with FroYo Androids). I've played with the Streak when it came out and again recently (on 1.6, though) and unimpressed, but Froyo could fix what is wrong with it. If Captivate had 2.2 released, this would be a no-brainer, but the GPS and flash-fix has me spooked.

The fact that both of these devices are slow to get updates has me frustrated. I'd pursue the Tegra or Nexus 2, but there is no definite in sight.

On AT&T, those are really my only 2 choices for a media-centered cell experience

 

[BigCiX]

I like the streak but limited to landscape view for the most part is a no-go

 

[jblaze5779]

Wish I had waited for the streak. I just got impatient and got the captivate.

 

[NorCal Einstein]

If you are a tinkerer, and are up to flashing different ROMs on your phone, there are a number of great developers working on the Captivate to provide you a stable FroYo solution.

While GPS may still be a deal breaker for many, I personally have had very good success with my phone's GPS after making tweaks to the phone's GPS files (and no, I'm not talking about changing the settings in lbstestmode for those Captivate owners wondering). I am probably one of the few people that think there will be a GPS fix released soon, with the reason for my optimism due to the GPS behavior on the Rogers Captivate.

I can't speak for the Streak, and even knowing what I do now about the Captivate, I still wouldn't buy a phone on 1.6. All I can say is that if you want to be really satisfied with your Captivate, be ready to flash ROMs and get warm and cozy over at XDA Developers. If you are looking for an out-of-box solution, you might be disappointed.

 

[mnemonicj]

The Dell Streak isn't a phone, it's a "Pocket Tablet" (as Dell calls it). The Dell Streak has a 5" screen and weighs 7.7 ounces. The Captivate has a 4" screen and weighs 4.5 ounces. Streak measurements: 6 x 3.1 x 0.4 in, Captivate measurements: 4.78 x 2.5 x 0.39 in.

I think the Captivate's screen is the perfect size for a phone. I even understand the 4.3" screens, even though I may never get a phone with one, but the 5" screen is really pushing it for something that will go in your pocket. Depending how you hold your phone, talking on the 3.1" wide Streak for a few minutes could really become uncomfortable in your hand.

I think the Dell Streak is just a little too large to be a good sized phone.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Played with Dell Streak finally last week. The freaking thing is HUGE!!! While I love the screen size, there is no way I could live with it on a daily basis as a phone for a year or more.

The Captivate easily wins this one.

 

[ageros]

I'd suggest getting your hands on a streak before you consider it as a phone. I've seen them at work and they don't seem particularly convenient. Not to mention that the employees look ridiculous when they demo a call on that massive thing.

On the flip side, though, people seem to love them. We've run out a stock a few times selling them. So who knows maybe you'll like something that size. Either way, check one out before you get it.

 

[yahoowizard]

I think almost every legitimate reviewing site shot down the Streak the moment it came out. I would rather go for an ordinary flip phone over the Streak, and yeah, if you're going between Streak and Captivate, definitely the Captivate. And, I mean, you're asking on a Captivate based forums, I think you'd expect us to all vote for Captivate anyway.

 

[DT]

The Streak is enormous. That fact alone is a deal breaker, since it greatly reduces the portability. If I was going to go that big, I'd just go for it and buy a 7" tablet

 

[robhs]

I would wait for the Motorola Olympus. It is supposed to be released in two months.

 

[algs26]

The Streak is available now unlocked with Android 2.2. You can get a preview if you search for "Dell Streak Android 2.2 (Froyo) update review" on Engadget (not sure if posting links is allowed here). Landscape homescreen has been added.

That said, both are about to be outdated again soon with Gingerbread.

I'm not a fan of Touchwiz (esp the app drawer icons) so hopefully the Nexus S rumors are true because the screen is very nice. I would forgo most skins for faster updates.

 

[Terrigno]

The Streak is available now unlocked with Android 2.2. You can get a preview if you search for "Dell Streak Android 2.2 (Froyo) update review" on Engadget (not sure if posting links is allowed here). Landscape homescreen has been added.

That said, both are about to be outdated again soon with Gingerbread.

I'm not a fan of Touchwiz (esp the app drawer icons) so hopefully the Nexus S rumors are true because the screen is very nice. I would forgo most skins for faster updates.

Actually, Android 2.2 is now on the Streak and the "Portrait" view has been added. I had the Captivate since the day it came out. Its a great phone trust me it is, but Im a huge tech wiz with things and I just bought myself a Dell Streak. I dont mind holding that up to my ear to make calls. The bigger screen alone is a huge win. But if your looking for something more compact, go with the Cappy. Eventually the kinks will be worked out with the device. I actually have mine on ebay right now. Im trying to sell it and I do have 2.2 installed on it with launcher pro.

 

[JadeEyedWolf]

Honestly, just get the captivate, and before doing ANYTHING else to it, root that baby and throw the latest Cognition ROM on there! It's really not that difficult, and you will be SO much better off for it. You'll get FroYo, MASSIVE performance boosts, NO AT&T bloatware whatsoever, and generally you'll just have a smoking cool phone.

 

[carmendiva]

I actually like the streak but it is way too big for me....
Evo/Droid X is as big as I will go for a phone as of now

 

[sremick]

Honestly, just get the captivate, and before doing ANYTHING else to it, root that baby and throw the latest Cognition ROM on there!

This is one of the reasons I don't like these forums. Too much bad advice like the above.

There are serious downsides to flashing on hacked ROMs, all of which are considerably buggy and have their assorted issues, not to mention the technical expertise required. People seem to lose track that not everyone on here is an uber-geek and some are just soccer moms looking for some simple advice. Everyone and their grandma is pushed to "just flash a ROM!" like it's no big deal. If these people were car salesmen, everyone coming in for a Toyota Corolla would be pushed to get a 7' spoiler, 4" exhaust and NOS.

 

[algs26]

Actually, Android 2.2 is now on the Streak and the "Portrait" view has been added. I had the Captivate since the day it came out. Its a great phone trust me it is, but Im a huge tech wiz with things and I just bought myself a Dell Streak. I dont mind holding that up to my ear to make calls. The bigger screen alone is a huge win. But if your looking for something more compact, go with the Cappy. Eventually the kinks will be worked out with the device. I actually have mine on ebay right now. Im trying to sell it and I do have 2.2 installed on it with launcher pro.

Oops. So many Android handsets don't have landscape homescreens that I instinctively typed landscape. I meant portrait. They also added Swype, 720p (at what fps?) video recording, got rid of the tiny buttons in the notification areas and the framed icons.

 

[ragincaucasian]

Thanks for all the help - should have my Cap before the week's up. Any hope at FroYo before Gingerbread is released?

 

[Chris_Marie]

Thanks for all the help - should have my Cap before the week's up. Any hope at FroYo before Gingerbread is released?

Enjoy your Cap! I love mine. Last I read anything about FroYo was that it would be out by the end of the year. Also IF you are new to Android don't root immediatly, do homework before you do. I have yet to root mine and probably won't until I get my next Android device-the cap will be my practice after I get a new phone.

 

[sremick]

should have my Cap before the week's up. Any hope at FroYo before Gingerbread is released?

Samsung keeps saying that it should be out by the end of the year, but they come short of 100% promising it. So it's ok to be hopeful, but don't be too surprised if the date slips. They have enough egg in their face right now to want to take extra time to make sure that this update goes smoothly, is as bug-free as possible and improves things greatly.

 

[Jack45]

I'm looking forward to the new plethora of GPS postings after the update, ranging from:

"I'm in a closet in the middle of my house and the GPS can't get a fix"

to

"I was in the middle of a desert, got great GPS performance locking on 10 satellites in 3 seconds and confirmed without a doubt, within 5 feet, that I was lost. Really, really lost. If it weren't for my Cappy and Froyo I wouldn't know how desperately lost I was. Thanks, Samsung! BTW, the sand scratched the Gorilla glass."

to

It's still not fixed. Where's Gingerbread?

 

[jblaze5779]

Well at least the streak is receiving 2.2 today. soooooooooooooo If you wanted 2.2 any time soon I'd have gone with the streak.

stupid samsung

 

[CrimsonPride]

Well at least the streak is receiving 2.2 today. soooooooooooooo If you wanted 2.2 any time soon I'd have gone with the streak.

stupid samsung

ive had 2.2 for a month

 

[viny2cool]

This is one of the reasons I don't like these forums. Too much bad advice like the above.

There are serious downsides to flashing on hacked ROMs, all of which are considerably buggy and have their assorted issues, not to mention the technical expertise required. People seem to lose track that not everyone on here is an uber-geek and some are just soccer moms looking for some simple advice. Everyone and their grandma is pushed to "just flash a ROM!" like it's no big deal. If these people were car salesmen, everyone coming in for a Toyota Corolla would be pushed to get a 7' spoiler, 4" exhaust and NOS.

If u dont like there forums why r u here??? Some people wants it and some are forced to flash a new rom. Like I did, after running my stock rom for 2 months, i got frustrated with lag and lack of flash.

Why shouldnt I have Froyo when my friend's 15 month old Mytouch can get one (officially). Even Samsung has released it in India...ATT will never let us have Froyo...I am convinced...also if we get official froyo, we will have more stable custom roms...and yes I am sure we will gingerbread based ROms before ATT let us have Froyo officially. Not to forget my GPS works now...In New York city...not because i am in desert....

I rooted it and flashed custom roms. It doesnt require much techinical expertise. I also soft bricked my phone once, but there are experts to help us. I can still go back to my stock rom. I would never go back to stock again...official or no...

 

[jblaze5779]

ive had 2.2 for a month

Well at least the streak is officially receiving 2.2 today. soooooooooooooo If you wanted official 2.2 any time soon I'd have gone with the streak.

officially stupid samsung

 

[CrimsonPride]

Well at least the streak is officially receiving 2.2 today. soooooooooooooo If you wanted official 2.2 any time soon I'd have gone with the streak.

officially stupid samsung

no its not. they have released beta versions of 2.2, or "leaked" as they like to call it. if you want the official froyo from samsung download one of these. they arent finished, samsung can give an official relase tomorrow if they want, it will probably be the exact same as the last beta that was released. have you read about how froyo not throughly tested had created lots of force closures and lag on phones? im betting the same will be true with some of the dell phones, they seemed to release it very fast and theyre will probably be problems with it.